Chapter 3

So many nights I agonized
So low in self esteem
And everything seemed darker than
Before the light was seen
I've lost the hurt inside
I found a better way
I'm fragile but not broken
to start my life again
(Fragile, not broken- Natalia)

When her phone rang, she called to her daughter to hurry up, reminding her that she would be late for her first day of kindergarten. "Hello, this is Jennifer Humphrey speaking," she answered the phone briskly, irritated that someone would call her at this hour. Everybody at work knew not to bother her at home in the morning; it was the only time of the day that she was able to spend some time with Kate, and she cherished their few moments together.

"Jen, it's me. I'm sorry to call you this early, but it's kinda urgent." Dan's voice came through the speaker, sounding serious.

Jenny froze immediately, asked "What's wrong?" even though she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Dad had a heart attack... he's in hospital."

"Is it bad?" Jenny asked in an uncertain tone, not knowing in which direction the conversation was going.

Meanwhile, her daughter had come downstairs, dressed in a beautiful purple floral tunic dress with matching sandals. Wordlessly, Jenny pointed to the living room and Kate immediately understood that the call was important, and that she shouldn't interrupt Mommy. Obediently, she went into the living room and sat down on the sofa, waiting patiently for her Mommy to come and get her.

"Right now, he's doing okay. But he needs surgery urgently, it's just..." Dan hesitated.

"What is it?" Jenny asked coldly, hating when people didn't immediately say what they wanted to say—he was wasting her precious time with Kate.

"He wants to see you before he has the surgery. There's a chance he might not make it through, and he wants to see his only daughter again before it's too late." Dan spoke very fast, almost spitting the words out.

"Dan, you know I can't just drop everything here and fly to the other side of the country because he wants me to." Jenny said, "Besides, it's Kate's first day of kindergarten and I want to be there for her."

Dan was the only person she ever told about Kate, and he understood because he had been in the same situation. He should know better than to expect her to up and leave at the drop of a hat.

"I know, but this is really important to him, Jenny. You're his only daughter, and he may not survive this. Do you really want to live on knowing that you refused to see your father on what may well be his deathbed?"

"Don't say that," Jenny hissed, but she knew he was right.

"So are you coming or not?" Dan insisted.

"I guess so... I'll need to sort out some things at the office and try to find a babysitter that will take Kate for the next two days first, but I'll try to get a late flight this evening and book another ticket for tomorrow night to take me home again." Jenny said, wondering how on earth she would manage to find a babysitter on such short notice.

"Well, maybe you can take Kate with you. Georgina can take care of her while you visit Dan, and then I'll finally get to meet my niece and you can meet your nephew. The first week isn't really that important in kindergarten, they don't even start teaching stuff for another two weeks." Dan reminded her, hoping that she would agree.

Jenny sighed, "I can't bring her, Dan. She's too little to understand all of this, and besides, she would lose out on all of her other classes and she really can't afford to miss them!"

Dan knew that this wasn't really about the "life-altering" piano lessons his niece was getting at the age of five—much too early, if you asked him—it was that she didn't want to risk the chance of spilling her secret.

"Please, Jenny. I will arrange it so that it looks like she's just a playmate of Milo's, I promise!" He was close to pleading.

Jenny sighed again, rubbing her forehead. Dan didn't leave her any choice but to bring Kate, something she desperately didn't want to do. "Alright," she finally acquiesced, "I'll call you when we land in New York."

She couldn't believe that she was saying those words when she swore that she would never return to that hell-hole again. She lost her soul there, and it was the last place in the world she wanted to bring her little girl.

"Thank you so much, Jenny! I promise, everything will be taken care of." Dan said, excited that he was actually going to see his sister and her daughter for the first time in almost seven years.

"Goodbye, Dan." Jenny pressed the red button on her phone, hanging up, and went to the living room to find an overly-innocent looking girl with a wide smile on her face.

Telling Kate that they would be going to New York wasn't necessary anymore, she thought wryly, too drained even to chastise the girl for eavesdropping.

A/N: Thank you Victoria-Eliza for beta-reading this!

Thanks for the nice reviews! Please keep reviewing, they make my day! :-)

Next chapter is going to be updated end of next week !